Rebel Scum
by SailorMoonPie
Summary: Vera Waik is a stubborn smuggler whose path happens to cross a hot-shot Resistance pilot that goes by the name Poe Dameron while she's trying to repay her debt and flee detection of her father who is in The First Order. She's only gone by one code and that's to look out for herself but that could change once she finds herself on the Resistance base.
1. CHAPTER I

**CHAPTER ONE**

**( **IT ALL BURNS DOWN **)**

**THERE'S A ****MELODIC** **thumping**** sound bouncing** off the walls of the narrow alleyway. Dozens of lifeforms cluster outside of a tiny bar, waiting to get in with the approval of a bouncer. The bouncers looked almost bored as if they hadn't run into a challenge tonight. That is until they show up. Well, they had actually been standing in the line from almost an hour, remaining silent and serious, unlike the chipper drunkards that were too excited to go into the bar.

The pair stuck out like a sore thumb, instead of wearing ripped stockings of fishnets, along with short shorts or tiny little dresses, the woman decided to clad herself with her average get up of pants, a button-up cream shirt, and now she was sporting a new cloth that wrapped around her head like a good for identify protection. No matter where she went she always knew people were looking for her. The man was almost too intimidating to state at. If looks could kill he'd be a mass murderer.

"Anything yet?" a voice scratches it's way over the commlink in both of their ears. The woman gives her partner a sideways glance, both nodding as she places one finger up to the commlink. "Just waiting for the party to start," she comments, her voice low as a small smirk decides to make an appearance on her lips. Nothing could deter her from the excitement that was starting to build up in the pit of her stomach. Being this close to something was making her ancy and it was starting to show.

They begin their slow trudge forward as a group is let into the now rowdy bar. Just a few more moments of standing out in the cold and they were in for a treat. "You have the card still?" her partner questions, not even giving her a glance as his eyes are straight forward, calculating an escape route if necessary.

She makes a scoffing sound as she pulls out a small card, no bigger than a regular business card, and fiddles with it within her hands carelessly taking it between her index and middle finger and pointing it at her partner. It takes him a moment to realize what she's handing him, but once he does, he hurriedly shoves her hand away. "Vera," he hisses. "You're going to get us killed. Put it away,"

Vera chuckles as she slides it back into one of the pouches on her belt. "Buddy, you have got to learn to lighten up," she conveys, slapping him on the shoulder for good measure only to earn a growl from him. Her hands easily raise in an innocent demeanor before rolling her eyes.

Rod was always hostile under stressful situations like this, he hadn't been in them too often. Vera, on the other hand, was the lead negotiator and was usually stuck doing jobs like this one. However, it did mean she was on the hit list for most people she screwed over but it was better this way.

Once again they're dragged forward by the crowd the bouncer were letting in, everyone ahead of them is set to enter. The pounding music was vibrating through the ground, she could feel it in the soles of her feet. She could already taste the sweet reward of being inside from out in the open. She never liked being where she could easily be spotted from wandering eyes who just happened to know who she looked like.

As she is about to cross the threshold of the establishment, a bouncer pulls the two aside letting others in from behind and genuinely setting off an alarm inside her. Yes, they did look out of place with all the other club-goers but she hadn't thought it would cause them to potentially not enter.

Vera could already tell that Rod was about to explode from the stress, his stiff posture and heavy sweating gave it away. She gave one small tap to his arm to straighten his act up, her eyes connected with his to enforce a glare before the bouncer turned back around towards them.

All four arms crossed against the potbelly of the besalisk, scowl in tow as he scanned the strangers. Vera swallows the lump in her throat before fumbling with the card she had stored away to display it to him. His brow bone raises as she whips the card out, he takes out a small light and flashes it at the card revealing an insignia. A simple circle with wings in the middle flashed a light blue color under the light. The bouncer grunts, "He'll be with you. Just wait,"

The bouncer steps aside, displaying the entrance to the bar, allowing them to step inside. A coy smile appears on her lips as she overlooks the sea of lifeforms dancing in the middle to whatever was playing over the large speakers. The lights were low, drinks were being spilled, laughter and shouting were common in this atmosphere. "Thanks," she grumbles out before pulling on to Rod's arm to follow her in.

As they enter her hand twitched to a fist instinctively, ready for whatever trouble she was scouting for. Finally, her eyes rested upon a red curtain in the back of the bar, guarded by another besalisk bouncer. "Blend in," she instructs Rod.

Even though they both stuck out like a sore thumb against all the happy drunkards wearing skimpy clothing, they needed to find their way over to that area without causing a ruckus within the crowd.

As they narrowly avoid the twirling bodies of the lifeforms on the dance floor, she finds herself near the bar, squinting up at the glowing liquids inside the bottles that rested on the shelves behind the bar. If only she had enough credits to buy a drink to take the edge off. The thought of her using her sexuality to gain a drink crosses her mind but with Rod's presence, it was going to hard. Luckily, chance was on her side as freshly poured drink slides her way from the bartender. Her hand clutches onto it, stopping it from sliding down any further. This causes the buyer to become hostile for a moment before Rod gives off a glare. She smirks as she takes a sip of alcohol. This wasn't her first drink swipe and it definitely wouldn't be the last of they had to wait all night. She begins to casually sway amongst the lifeforms on the dance floor while also keeping an eye out for any trouble. Yes, she thrived on high stake jobs like this but when her face was plastered all over by being wanted by the First Order, it was hard to maintain a low profile.

"You think that's where the seller is?" Rod questions as Vera abruptly stops as they approach the back area. She tries her best to look like a party-goer while nimbly trying to analyze the area. "You think he'd be somewhere else?" she questions, bopping her head to the beat of the song as she takes a sip.

Rod crosses his arms as he states directly at the area, disregarding Vera's order to blend in. He glares at the bouncer, who returns it, causing Vera to roll her eyes. She should have done this alone but Thaddeus insisted that she have some form of cover being in the bar. He didn't want to risk their only negotiator.

She quickly downs the drink and slams it on the small table behind Rod before wiping her sweaty palms off on her pants. "Let's go, sugar," she commands Rod with a tap on his broad shoulder rushing in front of him so that she can do the talking. "The bouncer said to wait -"

"We should do the exact opposite. If you're going to help me buy this thing, we're playing by my rules," she commands the large man. One nimble finger reaches up to her ear and clicks her commlink off. The last thing she needed was someone's voice buzzing in her ear while she was making a deal. Her dark eyes can't help but meet his in an effort to try to convince him to follow her lead, which with a heavy sigh, he does - clicking his commlink off as well. She feels relieved that he actually listened to her, now if he would stop glaring at the bouncer she'd have no problems with getting in, but just in case she whips out the card once again ready to display it.

The bouncer doubles in size as they approach, looking gruffer than he had before. Vera's confidence begins to shrink but she holds it back from showing as she extends her arm out with the card in hand. The bouncer snatches it out of her hand, grumbling as he shines the light on it to once again show the insignia in a light blue color.

"What brings you here?" the bouncer croaks out, handing the card back to Vera. "Hoping to buy," Vera answers, earning a gruff nod from the bouncer. He steps aside, arm pointing up towards the red silk doorway. Vera tugs on Rod's arm once, a warning to not piss anyone off by glaring at them as he had with the bouncer.

"Have Trig get the ship ready for a fast extraction if needed," she instructs Rod, who nods before repeating the order over the commlink as they can the steps up to the door. Deals like this were always sketchy. And her checkered past didn't help if she was noticed by anyone who sided with the First Order. Vera places her hood at her shoulders as she enters the foggy room, Rod following close behind.

Her hand instinctively waves in front of her face as she tries to remove the smoke from her area, only to receive several chuckles from the members inside. A single low light bounces off the top of the dug that sits on a pillow in front of them, pipe in hand.

The room is filled with lifeforms placing themselves on pillows, smoking from several pipes. No doubt this was his entourage. The dug that sits in front of them pulls a drag from his pipe as he chuckles at the two newcomers. "What brings you to Bexon?" the dug states in a groggy voice that Vera can only assume it's from years of whatever he's smoking. "You search of something, I can feel it," he adds before Vera can even speak.

"I am here on the behalf of Thaddeus," she announces, earning a couple of whispers from his peers. "He sends his apologies as he has recently become ill. I hope I will suffice in his place,"

"We shall see," he says before taking another drag from his pipe. She could feel all her muscles start to become tense as she tries her best not to break eye contact with the seller. "Thaddeus mentioned the details of the deal to me, I have brought what you requested," Vera removes the scarf from her shoulders to reveal a certain box, a light blue light radiates from the crevasses of it.

Bexon gasps at the box before placing the pipe back within his mouth, grumbling to himself as he nods his head towards one of his entourage. "So you are in the know of what this item is, no?" Bexon questions the smuggler, who warily smiles. "Thaddeus informed me of the details, I did my research," Vera simply states, crossing her hands behind her back out of nervous habit. Of course, this was a lie. More of a half-truth. She knew of its worth but didn't exactly know what it was.

"Then you are aware of how rare the item is," he continues just as the circular item is brought to him, wrapped in a cream cloth. He takes it in his hands and twirls it while giving a cold chuckle. It was as if he were teasing them with the item. Her brows furrowed. She couldn't help but notice how his eyes never left the orb, his clutch on it was tight. "How valuable an item like this is," he continues.

"I'm very aware," Vera states, an edge to her tone. She wasn't liking where this situation was heading. She inches back towards Rod who becomes very aware of how coiled Vera looked. Like she was ready to bolt but was too scared to.

No matter how composed she looked to the untrained eye, Rod knew her too well to let this go unnoticed. He subtly places his back hand in his pocket, grabbing on to a small device - a beacon - and pressing the top button. Hopefully, the ship received the transmitted distress call in time.

"The offer from Thaddeus is," he hesitates, placing his foot against his goatee, stroking it as he tries to find the right words. "No longer valid,"

The smile on his face is downright ugly and filled with an intense feeling of aggression. The entourage seemed to chuckle with terrifying excitement as they enclosed on the guests. Vera stood her ground solidly, even though she wanted to run. "What do you want in return then?" she questions, she tries to mask the quiver in her voice with the pure adrenaline that was starting to flood through her veins. She was ready for a fight.

"More than just a quart of coaxium," Bexon states, tossing the box out of Vera's hand with a jut of a foot. Her hands reached up, trying to catch the box within her hands, bumping into Rod in the process. Her heart seemed to stop beating as she watches the box fly through the air, past both of their heads and out of reach. She winced as it came down in a clattering mess, a smaller box with a bright blue light emitting from it slid from inside the box towards the two smugglers.

Instinctively, her hands fly into the air as if she was pleading guilty already. "Please tell me you sent the distress call," Vera whispers to her partner. "Are you kidding?" Rod whispers hotly back, raising his arms just as Vera. She had no faith in him, he wasn't a negotiator, he wasn't even a weapons specialist. He was the navigator, not that they even needed one, but his company was enjoyable when he wasn't mixed with hostile situations like this.

"It isn't even real!" The dug exclaims loudly in a fit of rage, pointing to the escaped _'coaxium__'_. It didn't take a genius to know that it was just a small blue light bulb in a clear box. Thank goodness it wasn't real. If it had actually fallen to the ground from that high it could've exploded. "Get them!"

Vera rolls her eyes at the command. "I really didn't want to do this," she explains, before sending a kick at Bexon, having the orb fly out of his hands in a flash. Rod had already begun to pull the blaster out from his back pocket, ready to aim it at anyone who got even remotely close to the duo, which appeared to be everyone in the room.

Vera nimbly caught the orb with her left hand, hooking it within the crutch of her arm, while her right arm took out a blaster that was straddled to her hip, pointing it at Bexon. "Hands where I can see them, feet too," she demands the dug, who scowls before her as he does what's demanded of him.

Vera fiddles with the small orb between her arm, looking at her reflection in its shiny exterior noting that there were no seams around the orb to out something inside it. "What were you going to do with this?" she questions Bexon, blaster still pointed at his head.

She watched as he darkly chuckled from the pressure that was put on him, her nerves felt a little more wracked than usual. "You don't know what it is," he chuckles, as he calls her bluff.

Her cheeks turn a hot shade of red from the call out as she presses her blaster to the middle of his forehead hastily. Rod calls for her in a hissing tone. They had the upper hand it was time for them to make an exit.

In a moment's notice, Bexon knocks Vera's blaster out of her hand, sending it flying across the room and splaying Vera to the ground from the force. The room automatically turns into a frenzy, each individual pulls out a weapon and begins blasting, but not just at the smugglers, at each other as well.

The impact of her fall sent the orb rolling away from her fallen body. She reaches out for it but Bexon climbs on top of her, attempting to slice at her throat. Rod easily knocks the dug off of her, sending him flying into a wall. "Come on!" he urges, gripping on to her hand.

She clutches on to her side in pain, that fall did more damage than what she thought. Her eyes find the orb on the ground once again, bouncing between the feet of the lifeforms that were fighting. She skillfully ducked beneath a swinging fist that struck some poor fool hard in order to grab ahold of the orb.

However, in the midst of grabbing the orb, another leaches forward and grabs the object before she can even wrap her fingers around it. Her brows furrow trying to process what had happened. It had been so fast. It doesn't take her too long to realize that she's missing the orb. "What the frizz!" Vera exclaims with a scowl as she looks up at the man who had stolen the orb.

He looks down upon her, removing the mask that hid his face. Vera's scowl free even sourer as she glares up into the eyes of none other than Calix. A rival smuggler. He smirks down at her, tossing the orb in his hand once before winking and turning on his heel.

"Rod!" Vera yells at the bulky man making a beeline towards the door towards the bar. He hesitantly looks back at her, to see her outstretched finger pointing towards Calix. "Stop him!" she demands, her voice in a fit of rage.

By the time the words escape her lips, Calix has already brushed passed the navigator leaving him just as confused from before. Vera rolls her eyes, grumbling to herself as she grabs a discarded blaster from the floor and begins to pursue the rival smuggler. She pushes past Rod at the entrance to Bexon's hideaway to see most of the bar has cleared since the rumble began, only a few screaming patrons lagged behind.

A couple of familiar faces run into the bar, blasters at the ready. She had never been happier to see Shan and Knox. She shoots twice at Calix as he flees towards the front door, drawing the two newcomers' attention. "Grab him!" she shouts at her comrades, pointing at Calix.

Shan is caught off guard as Calix approaches her, sliding a disk onto her chest that shocks her. He narrowly dodges Knox's attacks, but manages to flee from his aim, escaping through the front entrance of the bar. Vera stomps her foot down angrily, huffing out an annoyed sigh before pumping her legs to catch up with the smuggler.

"Clean up the mess," she calls to Knox as she passes him. She was not going to let Calix getaway. Thaddeus had not disclosed what was in the orb or what the orb even was but if Calix was also after it, it was valuable.

She pushes her way through the crowded streets, bit taking her eyes off of him for even a hit second. Nothing made her more angry than losing something to Calix - the smooth-talking smuggler that always seemed to meddle with her deals.

Whether it be persuading her seller or buyer into going with him or him stealing from her like this, it gave her a bad reputation and an even worse taste in her mouth whenever she thought of him.

As she closes in on him she grabs ahold of the scruff of his jacket, pulling him back forcefully to the ground. The man groans in protest from the unexpected fall. The crowded street scatters from what could potentially be a scuffle. Calix tries his best to catch his breath as a shadow looms over him. Vera swipes the orb from his hand as he's recovering.

"It's good to see you too," he grunts as he props himself up on his elbows. Panting, and unhappy, Vera places the heel of her boot on his chest, pressing him down to the ground. "Stay down," she orders, her hand grazing over her blaster. "Wish I could, sweetheart," he coos just as he grabs onto her calf. "But I'm about to be a very rich man,"

He jerks her to the ground beside her, literally sweeping her off her feet. Although she's caught off guard, she still clutches on to the orb. She brings her foot down to attempt to slam down on his head but he places his arm in front of his face, blocking the blow. When that doesn't work, Vera tried to flip her other leg around to do the same, just barely grazing his head.

"Are you still mad at me!" he shouts as he twists her ankle back around, throwing her off balance. She sits up along with him, trying to throw several punches towards him that he easily blocks. She tries to evade any witty banter with him, although that was their dynamic when they had first met a couple of years ago. It turned to shit after a while.

Eventually, he throws her own fist back into her own face, causing her to lose her grip on the orb. She barely has time to recover before Calix leaps up and catches the orb in his hands. A metallic taste floods her mouth, she reaches up to see that he had actually made herself give her a fat lip.

Her anger soars through the roof as she sees him looming over her, haphazardly tossing the orb up and down in his hands. "Don't worry doll face," he croons to her, bending over. His thumb reaches out and grazes over her busted lip. If her head wasn't swirling at the moment she'd bite it. "Once I get the money I might take you on a proper date this time. Given you ask me nicely,"

"Go to hell," she spits out.

"I'll see you there," he says with a wink. This pushes her over the edge. Her vision goes red as she pulls the blaster out from its holder, aiming it directly for his head. Unfortunately, she doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing his head roll as he skillfully dodges the blast. The blast ricochets off of a building and ends up hitting a street shop, sending it up in flames.

Both of the smugglers look at the shop in shock, only to think about what could've happened if that really hit the true target. Calix sends Vera a glare before turning in his heel and running away from the area. Her eyes dart from Calix, running away with her hard-earned prize, the piece that she needed to give to Thaddeus and then to the shop that was ablaze where someone's life's work had gone up in flames.

Screams of horror flooded her ears as she continued to look at the raging fire. Her heart pounded. She had to go after Calix, she had to get that orb but she needed to help these people. "I might need...I might need some help," Vera pants into her commlink before darting across the way.

She pushes her way through the crowd of lifeforms that surrounded the small bodega, her eyes widening at the blazes that licked at the street, leaving scorch marks in its path. Foolishly, Vera steps forward as she can see a figure within the small shop. The wisps of the fire tickle the warmth of her cheeks as she braces herself to strut in.

Thankfully, the balosar man wasn't too far from the entrance as Vera could begin to feel exhaustion pouring out if her from the sweat the fire was creating. The man clutched on to a sand-colored tooka which was clawing and mewling into his chest as he looked up at the smugglers terrified. "Let's go!" she shouts at the older man, attempting to grab at his arm.

The man flails forward as he crashes to the ground, making the tooka go flying towards Vera. She barely has time to process the animal flying towards but she manages to catch it in her arms, wincing as the cat-like animal scratched up her arms before beginning to settle down. Her eyes drift towards the man, to see that his foot is stuck.

He grunts as he struggles to get his foot free. A sickening crunch from above sends Vera's head through the roof. Her gaze rests upon the ceiling beams that had started to weaken and char from the flames. "Of course," she complains to herself before setting sights on the man. If she didn't get him out of there in time they would both be doomed.

She places the tooka on her shoulders as she crosses the room towards him, hooking her arms under his and pulling on him. He screams in protest as his foot is lodged under a solid block of wood. Vera continues to pull, kicking at the wood, hoping it loosens up.

Frustration began to bubble inside her as the man still struggled in her arms, grunting in pain each time she yanked him back. Another crack from above alerted her that she was running out of time.

In a matter of moments, they both would be crushed by the weight of the roof. She squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled to pull on the man, not giving up until she finally felt a pop. The sudden release of pressure sent her stumbling backward with the man groaning on top of her legs.

One quick scan of him had her relieved as she realized his foot was no longer caught, although it may have come out twisted a little more than what it should've usually been. She hooks one of her arms around his waist as she attempts to lift him up, the tooka scuttling down towards her torso, clinging on for dear life.

Once again she winces at the newfound pain caused by its skinny claws but her main focus was getting out of the bodega alive and somewhat unharmed. It wasn't simple getting out of the bodega, she may have burned her arms more than she would've liked but it wasn't like the balosar man could walk without her crutching him.

As she crosses the threshold, she can barely contain it, she moves faster than what she thought she'd be able to, sensing a danger was close by. She fully swings the man's body off of her shoulder and far enough away from the bodega, just in time to hear the sickening crunch of the main beams giving way to the flames.

Her arms instinctively cradle the tooka that was still clawing its way up her torso, stroking it to soothe her own nerves. That could've been her in that place if she had waited just a little bit longer. The man let out a mournful cry causing Vera to come back to reality. This was all caused by her. This man's hard work, this man's life, went up in flames just because she was stupid enough to believe that she could actually get the best of Calix.

Her blood boiled just at the thought of him. The next time she saw him he was going to get what was coming to him. "Vera!" a voice cried out from the crowd of people who had gathered to watch the bodega go down in flames. Her head whips in the direction of the voice, her mind still in a daze from what had just happened.

Shan bursts through the crowd, pushing past any lifeforms just to get to her. Her hair is disheveled as she looks towards Vera with widened eyes. "Troopers," is the only thing she can say past her panting. Vera wants to groan in frustration but can't find herself to do it after everything that has just happened moments ago. That's exactly what she needed to top off her day. Another chase from the First Order.

"Here, here," she numbly mumbles out as she hands the tooka over to the shop owner who is still sobbing on the ground from the shock. "You're going to be okay," she informs the man, clasping her hand in his shoulder to convince him that he'd actually be fine. The man whimpers as he attempts to stop sniffling. "I'm going to be okay," he whispers out in a pathetic tone while stroking the fur of the tooka in his arms.

She gives him a firm pat on his shoulder before standing up, looking at Shan for any more signs of distress that she may have seen. Nothing. She just nods before bolting off into the crowd without looking back, Shan quick to follow at her side.

What she didn't take into account were the several pairs of eyes that followed her and Shan away from the disaster. Including a pair of dark and guarded eyes, that belonged to a man who had watched the whole thing from the start of the explosion.

He was going to go in and help the balosar man out before the mystery woman beat him to it. He could easily tell just by the way she was dressed that she wasn't just some helpful citizen, she was a mere smuggler. What he didn't expect was her helping the man out. That was uncharacteristic of a smuggler, usually, they kept to their own and only helped themselves out.

In the distance he could see where he was supposed to meet his lead for the object his superior wanted, a couple of stormtroopers stood outside the door looking for answers to what exactly happened there. He sighs in frustration. His lead was lost.

A small droid, no bigger than a couple of feet, whirred by his side in exclamation. He peers down at the small beebee unit in question, as it still yipped in what appeared to be excitement. "Wha -" he doesn't even have time to finish his sentence when he hears the familiar metallic voice of a trooper nearby. Closer than what he wanted to call comfort.

He quickly scurries aside, hiding behind the edge of a building with his beebee unit. He rolls his eyes at the sight of their crisp white suits, this was just what he needed, to sneak off a planet with no object. He didn't need to get captured by the First Order, they'd have his head. So would his superior.

"We have reports of a wanted smuggler," he overhears the trooper state to the man with his tooka. The trooper flashes up a bounty puck that displayed the very same woman who had just helped him escape his death. "Which way did she go?"

The man scans the trooper, teeth chattering together as the tooka in his hand begins to growl in agitation at the newcomer. After a few moments of being stunned the trooper shifts in his spot, freehand going to rest on his blaster. The man's eyes widen as he watches the involuntary action, swallowing a large lump of spit that was caught in the back of his throat.

The beebee unit hisses at its friend nervously, wanting to flee the scene before it got gruesome but, with each second it knew that its friend would be too stubborn to sit by idly as injustice happened. The balosar man juts his arm out, motioning which way the smuggler was gone. In a moment's notice, the troopers gather up and run in the direction the man had lead them to.

It was unusual to see someone go against the First Order, the shop owner had purposely misled the troopers into following in the opposite direction the smuggler had gone off to.

Once the troopers had fled, the crowd began to scatter and go about their normal day. On this planet, it seemed like a public conniption was the only good drama to go down. The beebee unit whines in protest as its friend rounds the corner of the building.

The man scoffs out a sigh before looking back at the hesitant droid who didn't come out from hiding behind the wall. "Why don't you stay here? I'll be right back," he coaxes the faithful droid, who beeps in return.

Beebee-ate was always worried about its friend, especially since he was more than always too reckless. The balosar man stood on his two feet, watching his shop burn down in awe, his tooka still in his hands, tears escaping his eyes. No one had come to put the fire out as it seemed to be the least of concern for the First Order occupied planet.

He approached the shop owner, watching the fire take over the wood of the store like a hungry monster. He rested in silence next to him for a moment, just watching the flames lap up the remains of the store. He had seen too much of this during the First Orders rule. Too much destruction - not as tame as this but it was still destruction.

"I'm sorry," he whispers out to the man, who merely looks in his direction for a moment before looking back at his shop. "I should've known this would happen one day," the shop owner responds, his voice hoarse from his age. "It's not like everyone here is jumping to my aid," he states as he turns to face the young man next to him.

The man nods his head as he turns to face him before sticking his hand out to greet him. "My name is Poe Dameron. I'm from the Resistance. Is there anything you can tell me about the girl who saved you?"


	2. CHAPTER II

**CHAPTER TWO**

**(** WOE IS VERA **)**

**THE STARS FROM the ship, dubbed** Saber, look close enough to touch but far enough away to be out of harm's way. Each unique, shedding its own sparkle of light into the endless black sky. Unique was something that Vera rarely used but had recently heard the word being used rather frequently. Especially regarding that orb that Calix got away with. She stays firmly planted on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest as she gazes out into the vast emptiness of space. Only the stars could dazzle her and even that wasn't working. She felt like a failure, letting her guard down and having Calix get the best of her. Their rivalry had gotten the best of her so did her quick temper. That orb was priceless.

Thaddeus wasn't too pleased with her actions that lead to losing it. Calix was the only person in the Galaxy to get under her skin and he did it frequently. More than she'd like. It wasn't just her fault that the bodega had gone up in flames because of their squabble. Although, she did feel mighty guilty thinking about the man's sobs as he watched his shop go up in flames. However, she never understood why people would put all their chips on one thing.

She shakes her head as she tries to justify why she shouldn't feel guilty. She should. It was her fault. Plus, Thaddeus had also pointed out to her that it was her recklessness, her lack of care that caused the orb to get away and for the shop keeper to lose his livelihood. While she arrived back on the ship a couple days ago, and as the rest of their crew melted past the lost of the orb, including Thaddeus, she was still held up in her thoughts, brewing about the situation that had happened. Reckless was the word that her captain had thrown at her explaining her actions. Endangerment was another. It wasn't like they weren't already in danger. They were smugglers. Not too many people took kindly to them. If she wasn't one, she'd be more than willing to get rid of any smuggler she saw, unfortunately, she knew what they did and how unethical most of it was.

However, this path was the best path she could've chosen for herself. Being free was all that was important to her. A grunt from behind her informs her senses that she's no longer alone, making her annoyed. She just wanted to be left alone while she stewed in her own pity. As she turns, her gaze is met with her Captain's, Thaddeus, a tray of food in his hands. She feels a certain heat rush to her face. She hated when he got like this. He always babied her when she was trying to beat herself up. She made a mistake and she was going to have to live with it, why couldn't he be just as mad? "If you've come to lecture me I'm not really in the mood," her voice is icy as

Thaddeus's presence draws closer to her, eventually sitting next to her on the ground. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not here for that," he chides, staring out into the emptiness of space with her. The smell of the warm food on the tray wafted up in her direction. It didn't smell too pleasant but it was enough to make her stomach growl. It just made her even more sour than what she already was. "Then why are you here?" she questions, rolling her eyes in the process. Another gurgle of her stomach rips through the silence causing Thaddeus to chuckle at her stubbornness. "Here," he states, placing the tray onto her lap. "Eat,"

Vera begrudgingly takes a spoonful of the grey sludge that had been haphazardly slapped on her tray. It was like warm at best and smelled repulsive but if that was the only thing they were offering...

She took a hefty bite, slurping up the remnants in the spoon before setting it back down on her plate. "You know I thought I was supposed to be Captain here," Thaddeus starts, earning a confused look from Vera as she notices him staring off at the stars, a hidden smile appearing on his face. Had he lost his marbles? Did something happen to him when they reentered space? "You are?" her voice is tense, full of question and confusion as she takes another bite of the dreadful food. "If I'm Captain then why are you beating yourself up over this after I've said it's water under the bridge?"

"Because it shouldn't. It was a rare artifact that Esai wanted. I don't know. I was hoping if we gave him something valuable he would - But I let my anger get the best of me. I saw Calix. I saw red and now we're empty handed. What kind of smugglers are we?"

"The empathetic kind,"

"I didn't know those existed,"

"I don't blame people for their mistakes; but I do ask that they correct them. You're a good kid, and I'm done having you wallow around in your pity party. Eat. As soon as you're done I have another mission for you,"

Vera stared curiously at the captain as he tried to get up. His old age was starting to get the best of him. She could practically hear the cartilage in his knees popping, along with a straining groan. She pops in another spoonful of sludge, gagging herself in the process to help it go down steadier. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Thaddeus almost escape through the door.

"What was in the orb?" she asks after placing a spoonful of sludge in her mouth. It's enough to stop her captain in his tracks. A small smile appears on her lips as she hears him huff out a sigh. She did like to make him irritated to a certain point. "What?"

She turns to face him as he leaned against the ladder of the open area, she had stopped him from descending back down. "Bexon said something priceless was in the orb. What was it?" Thaddeus's face was conflicted with emotions. It was like he wanted to tell her but was sworn to secrecy about the orb. Truly, Thaddeus was somewhat warm but there were parts of him that Vera still had yet to see, some darker parts of him that some of their clients had warned her about. Perhaps the orb was something that had to do with his past. It looked like it, judging by his disgruntled reaction. He huffs out another sigh before climbing the ladder to once again be on the same level as her. She had seen the disappointment flash across his face as he quietly says, "Kyber."

The word alone comes in a form of shock to her, she literally leans back as if she's been smacked, her brows furrowing at her captain. She had just let one of the biggest idiots in the galaxy get away with one of the most precious materials out there. An actual crystal from a time that was thought to be forgotten along with the wielders of the weapons they once were harbored in. "An actual kyber crystal? And you don't want me to make a big deal out of me losing it?" Vera's tone is hot as she quickly spits out the words. Thaddeus places his hand out between them to motion for her to calm down. Although she was his negotiator she still had quite the temper. "It's in the past," he calmly states.

Vera's blood surges through her like electricity. This would've been valuable information to know. She wouldn't have let Calix get away with it if she'd known otherwise. "In the past my ass," she hisses out as she turns to look at the stars. Her captain groans in irritation as he watches her seethe with frustration. "So it's true then. The force, the Jedi, everything. It's not just some folklore?" she questions, watching her captain give one curt nod, before directing her attention back out into the abyss of stars.

"When I was around your age I actually knew a Jedi," he states, almost as if he were bragging. Vera looks at him, there's a sparkle in her eye as if she were a child. A wide smile came across her face. "Who!" she excitedly exclaims, only for Thaddeus to hush her voice. It was obvious that he wasn't fond of everyone knowing this. "It's in the past," he waves the question off like it wasn't necessary. Vera's lip pulls into a small pout as she watches her captain become somewhat irritated just thinking about the time. "You need to learn to let go of things that are out of your control, or else you're not going to end up living a happy life,"

Vera scoffs, "I didn't know those were possible when you chose to be a smuggler,"

Thaddeus furrows his brows as he sighs. "When you choose to be a smuggler, no, happy endings don't come too often. But you are a special case -"

"Don't remind me," Vera cuts him off harshly. Her glare boring into Thaddeus's eyes. She didn't need to be reminded that she was a special case. She also didn't want to reminisce about her past. After a moment, she returns to look out the window, twiddling her thumbs solemnly as she thought about lashing out on Thaddeus. He was only trying to help her. It felt like an instinct to shut down any attempt to help her since she left her family. Now after serving many years in servitude under a sadistic and perverted man, she's found a new one. She couldn't risk losing them.

"Was he your buyer?" she questions, breaking the silence between them. "Is that why you risked us going after something that special? Because of the debt?" her voice was growing faint but it still held a sharp edge to it. Thaddeus sighs once again, leaning back to face her head on. He didn't mind her scrutiny. "Yes," he simply stated. Vera shakes her head in disbelief, an incredulous smirk growing on her face. Knowing the man who had transitioned her from a helpless child to a slave, he wasn't going to just keep a Kyber crystal in his collection of extraordinary things. "Do we even know what he wants to do with it?" she questions, sounding exasperated. Thaddeus waves the question off as if it were no big deal. "You know Esai, he has a don't ask, and don't tell policy,"

"Boy don't I know," she scoffs, looking to the floor. It's true. She had fled the First Order, disappointing her father who was greatly loyal to the supreme leader, just to find herself in the clutches of Esai, who, on the outside, looked like a pleasant person, fond of partying, but he had ways to show people how angry he was when they disappointed him. Not a lot of people have the gull to strike a deal with him, as it is almost as bad as selling your soul, but thankfully Vera managed to strike a deal so airtight that she could manage to get away from him for some time. All Thaddeus needed to do was be at his beck and call whenever he pleased, unless he could pay his debt.

"I'm going to find him," she huffs out, standing up. Her joints were aching from just sitting around and moping all day. She needed new excitement in her life. "No, you're not. Calix could be halfway across the Galaxy right now -"

"We can't risk going to Esai empty handed," Vera argues. Thaddeus hated when she got this way. She was too stubborn to say no to. There was no stopping her when she got this way. "We're not," he sighs out. "I am,"

Vera turns to him with an incredulous look on her face, her eyes narrowing at him, throwing daggers. "Thaddeus, he'll kill you -" Vera attempts to protest but Thaddeus cuts her off. "If he does, then you must run," he instructs her, earning an eye roll. "Remember the coordinates I gave you,"

"They're useless coordinates if I don't know if you're all right," she whines in protest. She didn't like thinking of any of her teammates going and dying on her. Or abandoning her for that matter. She thought it was precious that they stuck by her side through thick and thin. She's put them through hell at times, testing their patience but they still find their means to love her. Vera lets out an exasperated sigh. "Why does someone have to die in this scenario? Just let me find Calix,"

"It's been decided, Vera," Thaddeus snaps, his voice sounding strict and unwavering, catching her full attention. She knew the tone, it was the kind that you would be stupid enough to talk back to if you heard it. "Follow your orders and know your place," he hisses out firmly. Vera does everything in her power to not look weak, to not back down. She stands tall and confident, looking head on towards her captain - her saviour. Finally, she breaks her stiff and rigid attitude for a more submissive tune. "Yessir," she obediently obliges, stepping to one side to signify that she was done with this conversation.

Thaddeus grunts in response as he makes his way past her towards the bridge, earning a glare from the high-strung negotiator. No one in their right mind would go to the renowned thug, Esai, empty-handed. Thaddeus wanted a death wish, to be rid of her or something else. Or he had something up his sleeve that he was neglecting to tell everyone about. Either way she couldn't just sit by and watch him get slaughterer when everything was her fault. And she meant everything. Is he hadn't saved her from Esai's clutches then he wouldn't be in this predicament. She owed her life to him so she knew there was only one real option for her.

She quickly flung herself down the tunnel that Thaddeus had appeared in, landing squarely on the the balls of her feet in the dining hall. It was empty. Judging from the darkness of it, it had been empty for quite some time. She must've been so preoccupied with her feelings that she didn't even realize the time. Plus the empty, dark, void of space never really let her know when daytime was. Planning her escape and retrieval meant having one extra set of hands. She couldn't do it alone, but no one was dating enough to go against Thaddeus.

But there was one person who would follow Vera wherever she went. Vera wound her way down the halls of the ship, until she came across where the bedrooms were. The light hue of lilac coating the walls, a sure tell that it was way past curfew. Vera paid no attention to the signs of curfew, she was preoccupied with her retrieval. She tried to enter the room next to hers as quietly as she could, the large metal doors springing open with just one touch of a button. She was surprised that the sound of the hissing air didn't wake the person up, she didn't even stir. This would only make things even more fun.

She tip-toed over to the side of the bed where the figure lay, lightly snoring in slumber, covers hiding her face. Vera swipes the blanket down revealing the young face of Shan. If there was anyone who was going to follow her lead it was her, she had always been one to idolize her. She shakes her shoulder, stirring Shan half-awake. "Vera?" she grumbles out, voice hoarse and filled with exhaustion. The sound of her voice made Vera bite down on her bottom lip out of guilt. It almost made her feel bad for waking her up. Almost.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Shan groggily questions, flipping up the covers and trying to scoot over for her. That had been a nightly routine for her when she first arrived in the crew. Of course, Shan was still younger than her but she was around a lot longer. She'd be the one on her side to whisk her worries and frets away. Vera's eyes started to widen as she shook her awake once more. Shan grumbles in her sleep once again before raising and looking at her. Even in her half-slumber it was obvious she was throwing her and annoyed glare. "Hey," she whispers sweetly to her as Shan begins to start waking up fully, stretching out her arms. "Let's go have some fun," she smirks as Shan perks up a questioning brow. "Fun?" she croaks out.

"Like steal a ship and find Calix fun," Vera hums out, a cocky grin appearing on her face. Shan furrows her brows, "Are you nuts?" Her voice is a little too loud for Vera's liking, who quickly hushes her, before listening to the silence of the room. Hopefully no one heard her. Vera knew the look in Shan's dark eyes. Even though she knew she'd follow her no matter what, she knew she had a moral conflict everytime she went against Thaddeus.

There was only one way she could get off this stupid ship with her and that was to trick the ever stubborn pilot. Vera huffs out a dramatic sigh, as she stands up swaying from side to side as if she had given up. "Yeah, no, I get it. You don't want to upset Thaddeus. I don't blame you," her voice is thick with shame. "I just figured since you're young and pretty, you shouldn't spend all this time cooped up on this ship. I thought it would be nice to get you out and visit Takodana," she baits, her back turned to her, sly smirk growing on her face.

"Takodana?" Shan reiterates, her voice sounding promising. Hook, line and sinker. Vera spins around to look at Shan's face, she tries to display a fit of woe across her face, as if she were really worried about Shan's well-being. "Yeah, figured you wouldn't meet a husband being a smuggler and cooped up on this dirty ship. You want a husband don't you?" she taunts, already knowing the answer. Shan had expressed several times that she was anxious for her real life to start, and it would begin once she found someone to marry. The only tricky part is, you can't marry when you're a smuggler, people despise them. It's also hard to find a reliable smuggler husband. "I do," she whispers out longing, as she clutches on to her blankets. "But what does this have to do with Calix?" she questions.

"Don't worry about it," Vera replies as she tosses her clothes on the bed, indicating she needed to get ready if she actually was going. "Are you going on another date with him?"

The question is enough to make her want to gag. Another date with the infamous Calix, who doesn't call women back and pretends like he doesn't know them in the morning. No thanks. "Ew, gross, no. Just help me get a ship and we'll be on our way,"

Shan scoffs as she throws the blankets off of her. Obviously she was grumpy, she had just been woken from her sleep. However, Vera smirks as she knows she had just gotten the better of her, and the better of Thaddeus. She wouldn't see him killed by going empty handed to Esai. "I hope whatever you need from Calix is worth it, because we're going to be in so much trouble," she grumbles as she pulls on her pants.

Vera merely shrugs at her. "Trust me it is,"


	3. CHAPTER III

**CHAPTER THREE**

**( **SMUGGLERS DON'T PLAY FAIR **)**

**VERA CAN'T HELP but think of** the look on Thaddeus's face when he found out they had taken a ship. They weren't exactly quiet as they took out a ship. Dum-E, an old Imperial ID1001 droid, had alerted the two that their captain had been standing on the edge of the hangar, calling out to them. His face was a mix of emotions, anger and frustration with a bit of sorrow hidden in his features, as if he thought that they were jumping ship before meeting the Esai.

Vera tries to push the thought away, instead assuming that he was only saddened at the loss of his only stealth ship. The ship was old, battered with age, as it was, just like Dum-E, used for the Imperial army. She couldn't remember a time where the Imperial thrived, but she was certain her father did. Perhaps if he were old enough back then he would've worked on the Death Star, instead he was too busy kissing the ground the Supreme Leader Snoke walked along with her brother. It was like they worked as a hive mind together, killing the weak, taking children from families. If it weren't for her mother, she still would've been a part of The First Order. She often thought of what would have happened if she never fled after her mother told her to. Would she have become a Stormtrooper? A T.I.E. fighter? A loyal pawn to the supreme leader?

All thoughts that went out the window when they dropped out of lightspeed, the mossy green planet of Takodana on the horizon. Takodana is usually where they go for drinks and certain pointers on finding rare collectibles for Esai or anyone else who needed anything. They were an all put service but they never dealt with The First Order thanks to her background. She stretches her arms above her head, while yawning. Being in a cramped a small co-pilot seat was enough to make her exhausted, that and the fact she didn't get any sleep yet - even after Shan offered to pilot alone while she slept. She didn't trust Shan running on a mere two hours of sleep to eat let alone pilot a ship.

Dum-E chirped excitedly in between them, causing her to scoff. "No, stay on the ship," she commanded the droid. They were already landing in an old Imperial ship, they didn't need an Imperial droid following them around, it'd draw too much attention. Something that they didn't need was attention. To be cautious the landed the ship a mile away from their destination. It was already stolen, she didn't need anyone else stealing it, leaving them stranded. Or worse, they'd take Dum-E when she had finally been able to tolerate them. The tall tree of the jungle engulfed their view as they landed, a small view of the bar laid in the distance. "Stay," she warns Dum-E as she prepares to leave the ship with Shan by her side. "Are we really here to see Calix?" Shan questions lazily, almost a whine as she stands up from her seat to exit the ship with Vera. "I don't want to get caught up in one of your little biggest loser competitions,"

Vera turns to glare back at her as she presses the button that leads the landing platform to the ground. She was never going to live down the fact that she and Calix were going to be linked together for eternity in her crew mates eyes. "We're not here to talk to him," she grumbles out, heading down the platform, her boots clunking down on the metal. Shan throws her a confused look, her brow arching. She knew when Vera kept things short in simple things were about to get too complicated to comprehend. "Then why are we here?"

"To get some information," Vera responds, sighing in the process. Once she got her hand on Calix, she was going to wrong his neck like a damp towel. She couldn't believe that she got outsmarted by an oaf. Just thinking about him made her blood boil, causing her pace to quicken, not caring if her boots got muddy from the damp jungle terrain. "Sounds to me like we're talking to him," Shan replies, trying to keep up with the negotiator.

"We won't be talking to him for long," she huffs out. Although, Shan was the best company she could get on short notice she was always the worst when it came to conversation. Too open, too loud, things one shouldn't be when they're a smuggler unless they're asking for a death wish. "So what information are we talking about here? Something priceless I hope," Shan chides. Vera stops dead in her tracks as they approach the bar, taking note of all the ships that were just lingering about. Her eyes scan the front row of ships, looking for the certain rust colored ship that Calix resides in - doing sith-lord knows what in there with whatever girl he's caught in his trap. "Yes, priceless," Vera responds in a hushed tone. "Now keep your voice down and help me find his ship,"

"You don't even know if he's here?" Shan spits out egregiously, her voice raising in volume and her brows knotting as she places her hands on her hips. Vera twirls around on her heel, flashing her an apologetic smile before scowling at her. "What did I say about lowering your voice?" she whispers out in a high pitched, panicked tone. "Vera, why did you drag me all the way out here if you don't even know if your boyfriend isn't here?"

"Okay, one, he's not my boyfriend," Vera lists off, lowering herself as she scans through the rows of ships. "Says you," Shan scoffs, following her lead and looking for a rust colored ship. "And two, he just ran off with our payment for Esai. No doubt, right now, if he pawned it off, he's a very rich man who always comes here to celebrate,"

This makes Shan stop in her tracks "You brought me out here for a crumby orb?"

"It's not just an orb," Vera sighs out, turning to level with her friend. She didn't know whether to disclose this information that Thaddeus disposed upon her but seeing as she went against his orders once and dragged Shan across the Galaxy to retrieve the item with little to no information about what they were doing, she figured an explanation was in order.

"It's a Kyber crystal," she whispers out, trying not to be heard by any wandering ears. Shan's eyes widen as if she were a child finding out a myth to be true just as she did but then narrow in confusion. "A Kyber crystal?" she questions back with the same low volume. Vera shrugs as if she knew what she was talking about. "Yeah, you know, the thing that powers a lightsaber," she explains like this was all common knowledge. She turns on her heel, trying to continue on with their search. "I thought those didn't exist anymore," Shan exclaims, causing her to roll her eyes.

She did have to keep in mind that she was significantly younger than her and it would take some explaining. She had been raised thinking that Jedi were extinct, almost a fabled story she'd hear from time to time from her mother. Shan didn't have the luxury of knowing those stories. "Neither did I but Thaddeus told me. He was going to give it to Esai," she replies. An unsettling feeling came to her gut when she said his name. Just speaking it out lout made her think that she had just wished death upon someone. Being in Esai's care, it was like it was. A slight shiver ran down her spine just thinking of him.

"And you're okay with that?" Shan questions, sounding offended by the mere idea of letting the lunatic run rampant with the crystal. There was no doubt he was going to fashion a lightsaber of his own or some other kind of weapon. "Honestly Vera -" Shan hisses out, causing her to groan in frustration and stop in her tracks to turn and glare at the girl. "No, hell no, I'm not okay with it!" she exclaims as a glimmer of confliction sets in her eyes. "But if it covers my debt we can actually go about the Galaxy and do whatever we want. We'll be free,"

Shan scoffs, "Until the next time Esai needs us. Come on, you you'll never get rid of that debt. He'll just keep throwing us in circles."

"Not if I have a say in it," Vera replies hotly, as if she had a brilliant plan of getting out of his debt. She did. Well, at least she had the makings of a plan. "Do you?" Shan's voice sounds incredulous as if she was offended for Vera even thinking she could get away. "Even if it did cover your debt, you'd still have to watch your back. Your dad -"

Vera abruptly turns around, coming within inches of Shan as if she was going to brawl with her. "Thinks I'm dead. Let's keep it that way," she cuts her off, the blood in her veins broiling just thinking about her father. The thought of him and her brother were going to be looming over her head for the rest of her life, even if she were free. She wouldn't be able to hide from them for long. The word deserter rang in her mind like an endless echo. She returns to scrounging the area for the ship - and her ticket to freedom (even if it was temporary).

She was truly torn, she could take the crystal and give it to Esai be set for life or at least a little while. It could give her the foundations of maybe starting a normal life if Esai would let her out of his grasp. But it would eat a hole in her heart. Knowing that if she gave this to someone on the opposing side of the First Order, someone in the Resistance. It could give them an edge, the upper hand in the war. She'd still be in debt to Esai but for the greater good - something Thaddeus told her to throw away once she became part of his crew.

"Found the ship!" Shan calls out to her from another row to her right. Vera quickly perks up, running towards where Shan's voice was echoing from. She slows to a stop once she sees the old, dirty ship. Vera can't help but smile at the ship, an odd sensation because she usually scowls whenever she sees it. Instead of being an irritating eyesore it's now a sight for sore eyes. She gives Shan a side eyed glance before they both start stalking to the underside of the ship, looking for a way to get in.

"Hello, rust bucket. Where's your pilot?" Vera greets, looking for the seam of where the landing ramp sits down. She scrapes her nails alongside the underside of the ship until she comes across a small, thin strip in the metal. The landing dock. She couldn't quite fit her fingers in it to yank the door down but she sure as hell attempts it, until she lets out a groan of frustration. "We're going to have to go find him, if he's not in there," she states, knocking on the landing dock and waiting a few moments with no reply. "It's got to be in there," she growls out, attempting to throttle the door down once again before giving up.

Frustration engulfs her chest as she looks at the ship. She knew the crystal was in there, she was almost positive. He wouldn't pawn it off so fast. "Is that a hand print?" Shan questions from the outside of the ship. Vera comes out from underneath to investigate, rubbing her dust covered hands on her pants. "I wouldn't doubt it. I don't think he's ever washed this hunk of junk," she states as she narrows her eyes at the hand print in question.

She rolls her eyes in disgust at the sight of the small shadow of a print embedded in the grime of the ship. Calix was infamous for his sexcapeds, he was also known to brag about it the day afterwards. She's surprised they had a falling out with how often they spoke about his risque business. "Well it's definitely not his hand print," Shan observes and then narrows her eyes at Vera, a smirk playing at her lips. "Put your hand next to it Ver,"

Vera returns a glare towards Shan. "What are you insinuating?" she scoffs.

"Just humor me," Shan pleads, pointing to the hand. Vera begrudgingly places her hand next to the smudged print. "There. Happy?" she spits out. Although her hand appears to be a bit bigger than whosever hand was pressed up against the ship, Shan lets out a small giggle. "It's your hand print,"

Vera snatches her hand away, insulted but continues to look at the hand print. She knew it wasn't hers, she didn't know why she felt so unsure and so embarrassed by its presence. She quickly pushes her way past Shan towards the center of the aisle way where she could easily walk away from the ship. Her eyes lock on to the castle where Maz Kanata was probably hosting Calix after his triumphant victory against her. She could already picture him boozing it up and spreading ridiculous lies about how easy it was to beat her.

However, while she was brooding she felt Shan's presence next to her eyeing her to make her feel uncomfortable. There was no way she could convince that it wasn't her hand print. "I would never, ever, be caught dead in that death trap of a ship," she declares in a hostile tone as she begins the tread up to the castle.

"Whatever you say," Shan replies with a snort. Vera lets out a grunt of disgust as she wipes her hand against her pants once again, watching the dust become trapped in the material. Somehow she wanted to blame Calix for this. They both easily avoided the strange looks they were receiving from onlookers as they strolled up to the castle - most eyes were easily their competition, probably wondering where the rest of the crew was at. They essentially looked like easy targets for any rivals they didn't know about. Vera once again tries to rub the dust out of her pants. "That's the second time that ship has made my hands dirty -"

"Third," Shan quickly adds.

Vera's head snaps up as she is quick to throw a glare at her. "Would you shut up? I've never slept with Calix -"

"Vera Waik!" A loud voice calls upon her near the entrance of the castle. She cringes at the use of her name. Not only could everyone in the galaxy hear her name, but this would also provide ample time for Calix to flee if he was paying close enough attention. Her sights set on the poor soul who had screeched out her name in broad daylight - surely they had enough gumption to call her out but did they have enough courage to seek her?

She put her hand close to her blaster as she scans the crowd only to find the pirate queen herself, approaching them with a hobbled walk. She forces out a smile once she sees her, partially genuine because she enjoyed the company of Maz Kanata but she could be a little much - like shouting her last name out loud so everyone could hear. If The First Order had any spies that overheard she'd be done for.

"Maz, it's good to see you," she exclaims but Maz doesn't pay attention to her greeting. Instead she aimlessly looks around them, as if she were searching for something. Shan lifts a brow up at her, wondering what was going on. She had only come to Takodana once before however it would've been hard to forget about Maz. Vera merely shrugs it off, as if she shouldn't pay any mind to Maz's nonsense since she was always like this.

"Where is Thaddeus and the crew? All I see is this tiny one with you," Maz observes by tightening the goggles around her eyes to get a better view of Shan's face, making Shan uncomfortable. Vera bites down in her bottom lip, there was no way she'd send a transmission telling Thaddeus where they were at, that wouldn't be something she'd do unless they were in some sort of trouble. "Oh, you know, they're...away?" she chides, trying to cover her ass slightly but make it apparent that they weren't arriving. Lying to Maz didn't feel right to her, especially if they were here on strict business that could disrupt the bar atmosphere.

Maz in turn hums out a small chuckle as she eyes her. "Vera Waik," she begins - once again stating her full name to her disliking but at a reasonable tone. "Rebellious in spirit and good in heart. You're smuggler title doesn't suit you well," she observes. Vera lets out a breathy and exhausted chuckle in response, kneeling down before her so she could get on eye level with her. "It's better than my other title," she states, a sad smile growing on her face. "Even in death you are still wanted," Maz cryptically states revelling in the fact that she had just confused Vera. The only person who would want her alive who thought she was dead was her father - and even then it was hard to believe that he actually wanted her or would even accept her after everything.

"What you seek is inside, tread lightly and do not mess anything up," she taps the smugglers shoulder, who in turn gives her a small yet determined smirk. "We won't. It'll be a quick in and out," she promises. Her knees pops uncomfortably as she leans back up, her mind still set on the phrase Maz had confused her on. There was no way her father was searching for her, to The First Order she was dead or at the very least wanted if they had caught on to her duping them.

She gives Shan a small nod to assure her everything was okay, as she sees her giving her a concerned look. They enter through the large door, their senses immediately becoming frazzled by the loud music and voice chatting throughout the bar area. If she didn't know better she'd think it was some sort of a nightclub. Her hand instinctively grabs on to Shan's. She had brought her into this mess, she had to make sure she didn't lose her or get her into any trouble. This was way out of her element. Shan was only backup, good for shooting their way out of anything, she wasn't a negotiator and she wasn't there to look like a thug.

She thought it would take forever to find Calix as they weaved in and out of the patrons, and fellow smugglers who had come to find sanctuary in the castle but, as she weaved past a large man she caught a glimpse of him, pinned up in the back with a Twi'lek woman and a Zabrak woman around each of his arm. She rolls her eyes. Of course he'd have women wrapped around his finger, promising them sweet nothings in their ears, telling them how brave he was for stealing. She had once been among the women who he strung along but she was easily guided away from him.

Vera squeezed Shan's hand for reassurance and pulled her in tightly next to her, guiding her gaze over to the rival smuggler, a scowl appearing on the young girls face same as hers. "Remember how you watched Rod and I practice maneuver twelve?" she shouts into her ear. She leaned back, barely making out Shan's "Yeah." It was the nod of the head that let her know she understood. "We're going to do that," she states, clarifying with her finger as she points over to Calix's table. "This'll be fun," Shan mutters to herself under her breath, causing Vera to perk a brow up in confusion. She hoped it wasn't a snide remark but she didn't have time to chew her out, the more people walked in, the harder it was going to be to find their way to Calix and persuade him to fork over what belonged to them.

"Now remember, keep your eyes to yourself, follow me, and stay close," Vera instructs her, pulling on her hand as she begins walking around, avoiding any detection from him. She tries everything in her power to hide from his gaze, thankfully he was too distracted by the women at his side to even notice her until they were close. Bingo. Vera smirks to herself. She had successfully cornered him in the bar to where he couldn't run and to where he couldn't notice them. She turns back to Shan who awaited her permission to follow. With one nod of her head she turned back around and began sauntering up to the table, Shan quickly in tow.

Whatever conversation they were having stopped as soon as he saw them approach the table, his teal eyes growing wide with shock. "And then I said - ah! Vera!" he cheers, trying to cover his own panic up by giving her a thunderous greeting. Each of the women give a look to each other and then to Vera who crouches down to the tables height, making sure to brush past her blaster as she rests both of her elbows on the table. She gives them both a snarky smile, eyeing both of them up individually before speaking.

"Beat it," she instructs them in a taunting tone. Without a beat the two women raise themselves from the booth, giving her glares, abandoning their meal ticket. "Ladies -" Calix calls out to them, his voice drowning in the loudness of the bar. He huffs out an exasperated sigh, which Vera loves as she opens her eyes, gazing smuggly at him. She snaps her fingers and Shan instantly blocks Calix from retreating out of the right side of the booth while she slides into the left side, cornering him even further. She can see how nervous his eyes were underneath the calm and cool exterior he was trying to give off.

"Can I get you something to drink? What brings you ladies to this side of the system?" he curiously, and courtesyly, asks, his brow furrowing in question. Vera lets out a small chuckle at the stubborn man. He knew why they were there. He just wanted the satisfaction of hearing her say the words. She had no reason to hide what she was doing or why she had come to interrogate him. "Where's my orb?" she questions in a silky tone that could easily confuse others as flirting.

She bites down on her bottom lip as she sees him panic internally, his smile giving it away as he begins to let out a nervous laugh. "You're orb? No, honey, that's my orb," he argues, bringing down the mood that she was trying to go for. Seduction could only get her so far. Besides her anger got the best of her as her coy smile turned into an instant frown. "_You_ stole it from me," she argued back.

"_You_ swindled Bexon. Which means _you_ stole it and then dropped it. _I _saw an opportunity and _I_ took it," he tries to justify.

"_Bantha shit_," she hisses out.

"You would've done the same," he shrugs off, his tone becoming higher pitched as he took a sip of his drink. Vera scowls, her hands started to shake from the pent up rage growing inside of her. She was going to lash out at him while he was in the middle of his sip but a small cough caught her attention. Her dark eyes met Shan's who gave her a look that said "stick to the plan or else". She let out a large exhale through her nose to calm herself down just as Calix finished his drink, sitting down on the table.

"How'd you find out we were going? It was obviously planned," Vera casually asks as if she wasn't ready to throttle him two seconds earlier. "It was planned, but I will never reveal my secrets," he remarks acting as coy as she was when she came up to the booth. She knew damn well that two could play at that game. She threw him yet another coy smile while playing with her hair, trying to seem more attractive to him.

"You know what you are?" she asks aloud, in a sultry voice that he found appealing. He thought she was going to be stroking his ego. "What, sweetie?" he replies with the same zoned out tone she was putting on. Now she thought he was putty in her hands. But she knew him, she knew he was toying with her just as he had been doing over the past years. She leans closer to him flashing him another flirtatious look before it disintegrated into a scowl. "A stubborn man. Difficult -" she begins to spew off only for him to interrupt her.

"Aww," he coos at the insults. "That is so sweet. Is someone still upset about our wittle date?" he croaks out in a baby voice, his lips pouting in the process. Vera reels back, appalled by him and his accusation. Once again her hands become clammy from frustration. "I'm going to kick you so hard in your throat that your Adam's apple crushes your windpipe," she growls out, watching him gasp in false shock as if he had known she was going to insult him. "Why are you so violent?" he asks as if he's offended.

"That got really dark really fast," Shan comments, receiving an icy glare from Vera before she goes back to glaring at Calix. "I feel like you're taking your anger out on me. Is this about the two girls I had sitting here earlier? Are you jealous?" he taunts, trying to hide his smirk with his hand as he sees Vera's temper raising. She looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel or explode with fury but she remained completely calm which unsettled him for a moment.

"The orb, Calix. Where is it?" she hisses out of frustration, she was tired of asking only for him to ignore her. "C'mon Ver, you know I have a strict don't ask don't tell policy,"he replies, knowing the nickname would upset her. It did irk her. A few hairs stood up on edge on the back of her neck but she tried her best to remain calm. "And I have a strict I'm going to kick your teeth in policy," she retorts with the same shit eating, irritating smirk he had given her.

It was at that moment that Shan had realized that they were both too stubborn for their own good and that she was going to be here for a while due to it. She sighs out of boredom, trying not to engage in the conversation. "I don't have the orb, Ver, I lost it," Calix states in a whiney tone, trying to convince her that he didn't have it.

"You're such a terrible liar. You always have been," she scoffs, before looking away irritatedly. Calix knew all the ways to get under her skin. She would give anything if The First Order got their hands on him or reprimanded him for smuggling. "Let me buy you girls a drink," Calix offers after a moment, tilting his empty glass around. Vera shoots him another glare, one that he dismisses by putting his hand up to ease her emotions. "Please? It'll ease the tension and I'll tell you what happened because I honestly was robbed,"

The edges of her lips twist as she shouts out, "No -"

While at the same time, her partner in crime states, "Yes!"

Vera looks over towards Shan as if she had been deceived by her only friend. It wasn't part of the plan. Plus so many things could go wrong while he's out and about. "Great, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere," he happily informs them, hopping over Shan to be free. Vera whips her head as she watches Shan just let him pass and to see him walk away freely, she was at a loss of words. "I'll be watching you!" she warns him over her shoulder. Calix spins around to throw her a wink. "You always do, you can't get enough of me," he notes, causing Vera's cheeks to turn a bright hue of pink before she turns around to glare at her partner.

Shan looks at her blankly as she rests her elbow on the table in a bored fashion, paying no mind to the daggers Vera was throwing at her. "Why did you say yes to the drink?" she asks in an incredibly high pitched tone that was more irritated than soft. Shan merely shrugs before answering. "Because you dragged me on this shitty little side mission and we don't even have a prize to take back," Shan responds in an agitated tone, throwing Vera through a loop. She was flabbergasted at how annoyed and disinterested Shan appeared to be. "What? Yes we will. He _has_ the _orb_ Shan," she states.

"Vera, you always see the worst in people. I think he's telling the truth," she replies with an eye roll.

"That's because people are the worst and he's the worst of them all," she argues, her brows knitting together. A headache was starting to pound it's way into her. She couldn't return empty handed to Thaddeus let alone Esai. Shan was starting to jeopardize the mission. "Okay, well, he just bought us drinks and he's coming back to the booth. I think he's being honest," Shan tries to convey her innocence.

Vera snorts at how foolish she was. She liked Shan, she knew Shan looked up to her, but this was the worst mission she had been on. Even worse than the last where she almost burned to death. "A couple of Jawa Juices for my favorite girls -" Calix announces his presence, setting the drinks down in front of them before he's hastily cut off by Vera. "Calix, seriously where's the orb?"

"Seriously, sweetie," he groans out as he hops over Shan once again, taking his original spot between the two women. "I already told you I don't have it," he replies with a flirtatious smirk once again. He gestures to the drink in front of her that he had bought. He wanted her to take a sip of what his generosity got them. Hesitantly, she raises the cup to her lips, taking in a couple sip before returning to business. "Where'd it go?"

"I don't know," he admits. "I went to refuel and someone knocked me out. I went back to the ship and it wasn't there," he points to the small bruise on his forehead near his temple. Vera takes another sip, if this was really true this would be the last thing she'd drink. Calix closes the gap between him and her, making her feel anxious. "Speaking of which could you be a dear and nurse me back to health?" he suggestively asks, making kissing noises with his lips as he points to his bruise. She snorts as she pushes him away in rejection.

Of course he could never be serious when he was being interrogated. "Sounds irresponsible. What'd you tell your buyer?" she notes, hoping he'd continue his chivalrous tale as she takes another sip. Calix shrugs. "I haven't told them yet. I'm hoping they just let me off the hook -"

"Are you nuts?" Shan interrupts, her eyes narrowing at the rival smuggler. "They'll send a bounty hunter after you,"

Vera rubs a hand down and across her face. Of course, she'd be a lightweight. She had begun slurring her words. This'll make for a fun trip home. "Thanks for the concern, kid. Maybe I'll give them a call," Calix states, giving her a reassuring smile and a squeeze of the hand. Something about the action didn't settle right with Vera. Hopefully he wasn't too cheeky to make a pass at Shan right in front of her but she could never put it past him. "No you won't," Vera challenges, forcing him to break his dreamy eyed gaze from Shan.

"What?" he asks confused for a moment as if he had forgotten what he just said. "You won't call them. You're either too big of a coward to call them or you still have it. I'm willing to bet you still have it," she proceeds to poke and pry at him and his alleged story but she could easily see the holes in it. Calix raises from nearing Shan, a telltale sign he was beginning to get nervous. "Who's you're buyer? We can call them together and say not to mess with you because you're not alone," Vera urges, trying to please Shan by not lashing out.

She relishes in how uncomfortable he was becoming under her gaze. "I already told you I can't tell you who my client is. It's fully non-disclosure," Calix repeats his policy, a certain edge to his tone that only made Vera more curious.

"Do you know what's in the orb?" she quizzically asks, knowing damn well she was trying to trick him.

Calix shakes his head once, "I can't answer that."

"I know what's in it, I'm sure you couldn't resist to find out why a ball was so rare. I bet you had a peak," she presses on, glaring at him at this point. "Was it going to the Resistance?"

"I can't -"

"The First Order?"

"Vera, please don't make this difficult." he urges her. Vera stops abruptly, he mouth shutting as she hears his plea. She only nods her head, teeth grinding in the process. She gives one shifty look towards Shan as if she could communicate what she was about to do next. But it throws everyone off. She reached behind Calix, surprising him, as she latches on to the scruff of his jacket, fingers curling into the back of his neck.

"Ouch, hey! What are you doing?" Calix shouts in protest as he's forcefully yanked out of the booth, causing their drinks to go on the floor. "Making things difficult. Come on, Shan!" Vera replies. Shan takes on affect of what just happened and instead finishes what's in her cup before following the pair out.

There's quite a buzz starting to linger around as people stop and stare at the sight of the woman manhandling the man. "Nothing to see here, just taking care of business," she notes to the onlookers, hoping no one would get in the way. Thankfully, Calix was a rogue smuggler and worked alone. No one would come to his defense even in this establishment. Her eyes quickly adjust to the brightness of the sun that spread across Takodana.

Just a few mere feet away was his ship that he was going to lead them on and give them the orb. "Vera!" a voice calls out to her from behind. She knew that it belonged to Maz Kanata, get she didn't have time to turn back around. "I didn't make a mess. This'll be over soon," she shouts over her shoulder, tightening her grip on to Calix's neck to prevent him from thrashing around.

"Why are you doing this? Are you still mad about that date?" he cheekily asks from being clenched by her grasp. There was no doubt there'd be claw marks on the back of his neck, not the good kind, not the kind he'd shoe off as trophies. This was an embarrassment to him. "Nope. I'm glad you never showed, it saved me a lifetime of complication," she easily responds as if she was frustrated with him.

"Look, I said I was sorry. I got distracted." he tries to plea, only causing her to roll her eyes. "I don't care. I just need that orb," she repeats for the hundredth time.

"Vera, I honestly don't have it but if you need it for Esai, I might have something more valuable,"

This intrigues her. What could possibly be more valuable than a jewel that could make one of the most deadly weapons? He had her full interest. She drops his neck from her hand, tossing him in front of her her. He cries out in pain as he grabs on to the back of his neck, evaluating his injury. "What's that?" Vera questions, her hand slowly sliding to her to her blaster. His eyes widen with fear as he realizes that she had the upper hand, he hadn't come with a blaster. All he hand was a dingy knife.

He becomes breathless, although he's panting hard. His hand retracts back to his neck as he realizes he's bleeding from her claw marks. There was no easy way out of this. He just had to buy time. Slowly but surely he dropped down to one knee, confusing her as he reaches out to her, trying to clasp on to her hand. A bright red hue splays across her face at the action.

She knew the answer to his proposal would be no but it was still embarrassing to her as he was doing this in front of Shan who would ridicule her for this. He finally clutches on to her free hand, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "An escape," he says, theres a certain sweetness in his voice that confuses her.

"What?" she asks confused and under her breath.

"Come with me. We can live our lives freely on the outer rim. We can disappear, start a new life together, have a family," he lists off, ending his small rant with a hopeful sigh and an entrancing gaze that begged her to follow his instructions. For a moment she's in shock, it was bold of him to assume that she could just run away on a whim without Esai even knowing - she regretted telling him about Esai to begin with. Her shock slowly dissipated to a low, newfound hatred to for the man. She hadn't even kissed him and he was talking about starting a new life and family together. As if that could happen to her, as if she would let it willingly happen with him.

"Wow," she sighs out, trying to act astonished by this news by even throwing in some fake tearing up and waving a hand in front of her face as if she wanted to keep her cool. "You...are..." Calix hung on every syllable that she uttered, his hand tightening around hers. "_Kriffing_ ridiculous." she finishes, throwing him off and then grabbing on to his wrist and twisting it to bend to her will. He lets out a groan of pain.

"After we get the orb, we're going back to the Saber and Knox is going to have a few words with you," she threatens, trying to get him to his feet, which he refused to do. She lets out a heavy sigh in frustration. He always had to make things difficult. It didn't matter if she had to cuff him to her, she needed that orb. They were going to have to physically carry him back to the ship if this is how he was going to act.

"Shan, how are you holding up?" she asks, her motor skills starting to become sloppy. Her brows knit together in confusion. Did she just slur? "Shan?" she questions, her heart rate accelerating in panic as she realizes that she really is starting to slur. She turns around to see her partner laying in the gravel behind them. "Shan!" she shouts in a panic.

She releases Calix to race over to her friend, finding it difficult to walk straight. She crouches down beside her, her chest heaving as she thinks of the worst thing that could happen to Shan. She leans down to her chest and listens for a beat. Thankfully she could hear it, but that didn't stop any effects that were happening to her. She lazily collapses next to Shan, her body becoming extremely tired, and the world was starting to swirl. "Woah, what's...happen...ing?" she sluggishly slurs out, trying to crawl towards a ledge that could help her stand up to get help. Instead of finding a ledge she finds a black boot in the gravel.

She tilts her head up to see Calix, or whatever swirled version of him it was. He holds a hand out to help her up. "Y-you?" she questions as she takes his hand. He pulls her up to her knees, refusing to help her further. "I'm sorry. Did I give you Jawa Juice? I meant to say I gave you Ambrostine," he jeers, pulling the orb out from under his jacket. How she didn't notice it before was beyond her but she couldn't comprehend what was happening at the moment. Was it even real?

She attempts to swipe it but misses it as Calix reels back, keeping it just out of reach. She collapses back down to her rear, holding her head to make it stop spinning. She watches as Calix looks to his wrist and then to her. "I got to go meet my buyer so, sweet dreams Vera," he states, his voice becoming foggy and distorted. Vera groans as she falls back, only her elbows were keeping her propped up. She whines on protest, catching Calix's attention.

He crosses over to her, crouching down to rest her head in his hand. She's took weak to even protest it. He fakes a pout as he watches her trip up over her words. "Who's...buy..." is all she can say before her body gives out completely, going limp into Calix's arms as he lays her down in the gravel. She just conscious enough to look up at him as he stands over her. She can't make out the muffled words he's saying but she swears she can tell who it was by reading his lips, before her vision turns completely black.

_Han Solo._

* * *

A/N: Sorry if it's a little slow right now! It'll become much more fast paced and adventurous once we meet some main characters!


End file.
